₦airaland Forum

My previous article "The Nigerians we know and think of" inspired this article, What is the Nigerian Dream?

From our National Anthem and Pledge, one would think the dream is to be patriotic.

From the reality, it is to be successful - the measure of success being riches. To be better than their neighbour. I don’t think this is wrong, but when you have to achieve your goal at the expense of the progress of the country, it becomes vain and selfish.

I respect everyone's opinion on the subject but I'll want to point out that all human beings have one dream and that is to survive every day as best as we can.

Some people ‘survive’every day better than others. Those are the people that own expensive things, have the money to visit fancy places, drive fast cars, have fat bank account balances, deal with hard currencies, can afford to live and work in better economies than others etc.

The Nigerian Dream is to attain a financial status that will comfortably afford you all the things that government, under normal circumstances suppose to provide for you and the things that even middle-income people can easily afford elsewhere; security, good education, excellent healthcare, consistent power and water supply, good shelter, decent living, etc.

Let me try to summarize it though:

- To be able to put on the gen whenever you want to.
- To relocate to a foreign country, preferably the United States or Canada
- Learn how to speak with an American accent
- Work and earn in dollars
- Buy nice and expensive things
- Create a social media presence where you can show off your acquisitions
- Become an armchair critic of the government, having very strong opinions about everything they do but no solution
- Send money back to Nigeria to build a couple of houses that you might never live in
- Make sure you visit during Christmas with dollars to ‘show yourself’
- Along the line, acquire a good education, personal development, skill sets, etc (depending on the individual, but not a necessity)
- And finally, to do all of this while eating Nigerian jollof rice
And it's a wrap, Mission accomplished. Plays out differently but usually the same difference.

There is no ‘Nigerian Dream’

What about a better question: What should the Nigerian Dream be?

Ladyhippolyta88:
All these are possible if we are determined to work for it.

UncleSnr:
...and you call that a dream?

Ladyhippolyta88:
When government is not responsible and people have these thoughts what should I call it?

There is no ‘Nigerian Dream’

What about a better question: What should the Nigerian Dream be?

Nehemiah459:
Lalasticlala, Mynd44, Ishilove, Marpol, Semid4lyfe, obinoscopy, Seun, shalomm, autojosh, Salamrushdie, Sarrki, Donbobes, r231, Freiburger

DonBobes:
Well since u sed NIGERIAN dream. Fact is just b d best. wen u have DANGOTE pickin crumbs on ur table dats a NIGERIAN dream. If not den u picking his.

Nehemiah459:
I don't understand...

DonBobes:
U sed Nigerian dream.
N efri Nigerian dream is to bcom d best n b rich.
Nigerian dream is to have ur name on efribodies lips on d street.
Nigerian dream is to b so rich dat d liks of DANGOTE go de pik bread scrubs for ur table. Den if dat dream goes down south den u R PICKING DANGOTE's. Hope u comprehend nw

DonBobes:
U sed Nigerian dream.
N efri Nigerian dream is to bcom d best n b rich.
Nigerian dream is to have ur name on efribodies lips on d street.
Nigerian dream is to b so rich dat d liks of DANGOTE go de pik bread scrubs for ur table. Den if dat dream goes down south den u R PICKING DANGOTE's. Hope u comprehend nw